By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

Calgary Stampeders assistant coach and L.C.I. grad Mark Kilam brings Grey Cup home

Jan 14, 2019 | 12:23 PM

LETHBRIDGE – It’s not every day that the highest prize in pro football in Canada comes to Lethbridge, but that was the case as former Lethbridge Collegiate Institute grad and current Calgary Stampeders coach Mark Kilam brought the Grey Cup to his alma mater on Monday, Jan. 14.

The Stampeders defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 27-16 in the 106th Grey Cup back in November.

Kilam, who serves as both assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the Stamps, graduated from L.C.I. in 1997.

For a local product like Kilam, it was important to bring the cup back to his former high school to show kids that he was just like them.

“In this room we used to have our pre-game meetings before games all in gear, ready to go, then we’d walk out and get on the bus,” Kilam said. “It brings back a lot of memories and it’s cool to be able to bring it back to where it started.”

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One of the biggest reasons Kilam wanted to bring the Grey Cup by L.C.I. was to show future players that things aren’t unreachable.

“I was in this room, I grew up here and played football in Southern Alberta. I’ve been fortunate to stay alive a few years in the CFL, but for the kids to see that this guy is just like me, I think that’s important.”

That message is central to Kilam’s own personal journey through coaching.

He never played pro football after finishing a four-year run playing linebacker for the University of Alberta from 1997-2001.

Before joining the Stamps, Kilam coached on the defensive staff of the Southern Alberta All-Star Team in the Provincial Senior Bowl from 2003-05 and also coached on the defensive staff with the Cochrane Cobras who went undefeated and won three provincial high school championships in that time.

“It shows that things are attainable. My first job in the CFL in 2005 I was a strength and conditioning coach, but I literally followed the defensive coordinator around asking if I could hold the bags during drills. That transitioned to a quality control job, that transitioned to a position job, that transitioned to a coordinator job. It’s important for everybody to see that you don’t have to go to these big schools or have a 12-year pro career to become a professional football coach, there are other ways to make it and I want them to see that,” Kilam stated.

In reflecting on his time playing high school football, Kilam called it some of the best years of his life.

“High school football is its own beast, it’s not quite as intense as college football and obviously it’s not as serious as pro football, but high school football is where you have some of the most fun and make some of the best memories.

“[L.C.I. Rams Head Coach] Darren [Majeran] and I played together, some of the other guys I’ve seen here today I played with. It’s a time when you don’t have to be the best athlete to play, as you get on in the levels it narrows it down a bit, but high school football is certainly a special time in people’s lives.”

Kilam played both tailback and linebacker for the Rams back then, as he remarked to media that he thought they only had around 28 people on their team.

“In those days, even in the biggest games, it was like the best 12 guys were playing. Against Raymond, I don’t think we came off the field, but that’s what it was about, football in its purest form,” Kilam said.

He also spoke about the importance of the grassroots of football in Canada, saying he believes some of the best football at the lower levels is played in Southern Alberta.

“You look at all the smaller communities around here, and there are some very good football players that are playing. In the CFL, half of the teams are made up of Canadians, so the guys at the younger ages now are getting better and better coaching every year. The players that we see by the time they go through college or university and come to the CFL, they’re so much further ahead than say my demographic was just because of way better coaching. It makes my job a lot easier,” Kilam joked.

While Monday’s visit with the Grey Cup was more for those getting to pose for pictures and hold it themselves, Kilam was asked about what the reaction was like when he won.

“It was pretty special, and that’s why it’s important to bring it back here. Yeah, I was the one that was on the team, but there’s a huge support structure that goes into winning. Tonight, we’re going to take it to my parent’s house and there will be a bunch of people over there. There’s a lot of people that involved in supporting you and it’s important for them to get a little taste of the cup.”